Duck the Halls
by Larcenyleftinme
Summary: A little holiday fluff from the Mighty Ducks. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

"Ho! Ho! Ho! Santa's here!" Nosedive hollered as he, Wildwing and Grin entered the rec room with an enormous Fraser fir in tow.

"That's, uh, quite some tree you got there, guys!" exclaimed Tanya. Great. Was the string of lights she had managed to untangle over the last hour even long enough for that?

"Trees are the earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heavens," said Grin, as he carried the giant evergreen on his shoulder, "And this one is speaking in all caps."

"I'll say! So tell me, where are you plannin' on putting that thing anyways?" asked Duke, carrying in a tray of egg nog.

"Right…" THUD. "Here."

A slew of pine needles sprayed across the room as Nosedive slammed the tree to the floor. Satisfied, he dusted his hands off and stared proudly at their find. "Man, are we gonna fit a lot of presents under this thing!"

"Well, not before we decorate it. Tanya, how are those lights coming along?"

"Duh-uh, almost done, Wildwing," she stuttered, entangled in at least three additional strands of multicolor blinking lights.

"Well hurry up, Girlie-Girl, because I'm ready to deck these halls!" Nosedive was in full holiday regalia - ugly Christmas sweater, reindeer antlers, light up necklace, and shaking a heavy box of ornaments.

Duke settled the tray onto the coffee table and served himself a glass of egg nog. He chuckled to himself at the scene before him - decorating for Christmas! Second year in a row, too. Who would've thought? Puckworld had a similar holiday, Day of DuCaine, where everyone would gather with loved ones, exchange gifts, eat, drink and be merry. Unfortunately, drinking was pretty much the only way Duke celebrated back then as loved ones were few and far between for him. He brushed off the thought and wiped his bill as he got up, taking note of his missing teammate.

"I'll go get Mal. She deserves to suffer with the rest of us."

—-

Mallory sat on her bed, angrily stabbing her remote control with her thumb. Was there anything on that wasn't a sappy made-for-TV Christmas movie? She shut it off and turned her attention to the old shoebox that sat next to her, the one that managed to make it's way out of her closet every December. Why did she subject herself to this torture every year?

"Knock, knock," Duke peeked his head in through the opened circular doorway. Why hadn't she closed it? "Wildwing and the others just got back with the tree and we're gonna decorate it. You also gotta see Dive's ridiculous get-up." He turned at his heel toward the rec room assuming she'd follow.

"That's OK, Duke, I think I'm gonna pass."

Passing on a chance to ridicule Nosedive? Something's wrong. Back in he went.

"You OK, Kid?" he asked thoughtfully.

Mallory looked up at him and sighed, stifling an eyeroll. He wasn't going to let her be until she fessed up - he had already taken post on her sofa, hands clasped and his one eye looking intently at her. With a loud "whoosh," her bedroom door closed at the press of a button. She picked up the box and walked over, dramatically plopping herself down by his side and reclining back, resting booted feet on the coffee table. He followed in suit and she handed him some old photos, one by one.

"My folks. My grandparents. My brothers and I."

Duke half-smiled at five-year-old Mallory pelting her two much larger, much older brothers with snowballs back in Puckworld.

"Always been a little ball-buster, eh?"

She smirked up at him.

"You guys are close." He observed the photos.

"Were."

"Are. You'll see them soon." He nudged her elbow.

"This is our second Christmas on Earth, Duke. I'm not holding my breath." She took the photos back and shuffled them in her hands, her mind wandering. "We moved around all the time and my dad was away a lot but we were always together on Day of DuCaine. Always. Until I joined the Resistance." She arched her head back and stared at the ceiling. "Two years. Doesn't that _bother_ you?" Mallory almost sounded accusatory.

"A little," he answered after a pause, "But to be honest, I didn't have much goin' for me back there, Mal. I didn't have _this_. At least not for very long." He pointed at the photo of her with parents, her dad carrying her on his shoulders while her mom beamed.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"But I do now," his one eye looking at her, "Sorta, anyways. You guys are the closest thing I've had to a family in a long time and it's kinda nice." Mallory shifted closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder, photos rotating aimlessly through her fingers.

"I guess it could be worse. Nosedive's like everyone's annoying baby brother. Tanya's the wacky aunt." She couldn't hold back her laughter and Duke joined her. "It's still hard, though. And you know what's weird? You know what I miss the most?"

"What's that, Sweetheart?"

"The snow. It's so sunny Anaheim and so… _pleasant_ all the time; it's like a slap in the face every time I go outside. A reminder that we're so far from home. I loved the snow, especially around Day of DuCaine. It made everything seem almost magical." She let her thoughts trail. Did she actually just describe something as "magical?"

"Well, maybe Santa will make it snow for you this year," Duke joked.

"In Anaheim? Yeah, right!"

"Hey, you never know! Santa has ways," a devious look came over his face, "And besides, haven't you been a good girl this year? Come on, whaddya say we help the others downstairs. I made egg nog."

"I think I'll still pass. But thank you… for listening."

"Anytime, Sweetheart." She liked it when he called her "Sweetheart." He seemed to be doing so a lot more as of late, too. In fact, she'd found that she enjoyed his company quite a bit once she got past the denial she masked as trust issues. Wildwing was all business, Nosedive was a pain in the ass, she could barely understand Tanya and Grin was, well, Grin. Despite their age difference, Mallory saw Duke as her equal, intellectually and emotionally. His jaded cynicism coming from years as leader of the Brotherhood of the Blade, hers from strict military training from the time she was sixteen. So it was kind of cute how into the holiday spirit he seemed to be.

"Say, what's your favorite color?"

She thought for a moment before realizing the obvious. "Purple."

"Right." Dumb question, Duke. He stood up. "Well, I'm gonna get goin' and make sure the others stay outta trouble. Don't let yourself get too sad, OK Mally?"

"I'll be fine." He took her hand and kissed it.

He was almost out the door before she called out, "Hey Duke - wait up. What's _your_ favorite color?"

"Hmmm… red." And with another "whoosh," he was out, leaving Mallory a bit baffled, a bit flushed, and a bit amused. Running her fingers through her hair, she reclined back on the sofa and looked again at the photo of her parents.

—

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

"I said money is no object, Phil. Just make it happen! … wait, how much!?" Duke had just gotten out of Mallory's room and was engaged a heated conversation with Phil Pomfeather down the hall. He stopped in his tracks, sighing but resigning to whatever deal their agent managed to conjure up for him. "Fine, fine - whatever it takes. It'll be worth it - I hope. So, 7pm, capisce?"

"Hey Buddy Boy, what's happening at seven?" Duke hung up at the immediate sign of Nosedive, a rare look of guilt on his face.

"Heh. Why do you ask?"

"Because you just said-"

"Whaddya mean, what I said? I didn't say anything!" His nonchalance was not registering well.

"Dude. You literally just-"

"Walk with me Nosedive." He put a friendly arm around the younger drake's shoulder.

"OK. This is weird."

"I need you to do me a favor."

"Uh, is it something illegal?"

"Is it some- of course it's not illegal! Listen, I have to step out for a bit and I need you to make sure nobody tries to use the rink while I'm gone."

"Oh, no, no, no. I know what goes on when you go "out," Duke. I'm not dipping _my_ tail feathers into one of your little _heists_."

"Nosedive, trust me, this is a completely different type of… sting. No funny business goin' on here, OK? Now, can you help me or not?" Duke actually looked desperate there for a moment and Nosedive obliged. What could he possibly be up to?

"Alright, fine. But why can't we-"

"You're a good man, Dive!" Duke said, patting Nosedive firmly on the shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bit of _special_ Christmas shopping to do."

Nosedive cocked his eyebrow and watched Duke walk away in his usual swagger- he wasn't buying any of that. What was happening at seven? Why couldn't anyone use the rink? And what was this "special Christmas shopping" he had to get to? Two years of living under the same roof as Duke L'Orange taught him that things are never what they seem with that guy. Man, was he cool.

"Don't think too hard, Nosedive," said Mallory as she passed him in his contemplation down the hall.

"Ha. Very-" he caught sight of her skates slung over her shoulder, "Where are you going?"

"To the rink, why?"

"You cannot go there." He dramatically blocked her path, arms and legs spread wide.

"Are you serious? Come on, get out of my way before I kick your ass, Dive."

"Mallory, I forbid you to pass!"

"Move."

"B-b-but it's being resurfaced!" he blurted out, sweating bullets. Pretty smart, Dive. "Yeah, the uh, Zamboni is there right now! Duke said it won't be ready until seven."

"Ugh, seven? Motherf-" she stopped herself short. Stop being such a Grinch, Mallory. "So, where is Duke anyways?"

"He left. Said something about Christmas shopping."

 _"_ _Say, what's your favorite color?"_

"He did, did he?" with a gleam in her eye, she sped away. Maybe practice can wait.

"Did I miss something?" asked Nosedive, breaking the fourth wall.

—

"Damn it!" despite pinching herself on the tape roll, Mallory found herself humming along to the holiday music that resonated through her room as she eagerly wrapped a leather-bound box. Empty shopping bags and the remnants of crafts-gone-bad cluttered her bed.

"Well, that's as good as it's gonna get." She eyed the small box shoddily wrapped in bright red paper, held together by a matching ribbon. As the tunes switched from Little Saint Nick to All I Want for Christmas, Mallory heard a sudden knock on her door.

"Who is it?" Silence. "Hello?" Perturbed, she walked over and slammed her index finger on the door opener.

"What's the big-" she looked down and spotted another box, one slightly bigger and much better wrapped in an eggplant foil and topped with a gold ribbon. "What the-?"

Mallory curiously picked up the box and closed the doors. She carefully unwrapped it to reveal a luxurious lavender cashmere scarf and a folded handwritten note, impeccable penmanship hinted at the night ahead.

 _"_ _Merry Christmas, Angel.  
_ _Meet me at the rink at 7. Bring your skates.  
_ _xoxo,  
_ _Duke  
_ _PS You might want to wear this."_

Glassy-eyed and flustered, she held the scarf close and smiled. "L'Orange, you son of a-"

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Mallory looked at herself in the mirror one last time before exiting her room. She couldn't remember the last time she felt like this or if she had _ever_ felt like this. The last year had certainly softened her in many respects, primarily toward and around Duke. She had always found him handsome - _always_. The "Most Notorious Jewel Thief in Puckworld" was not easy to avoid; his mug was always on the papers or in the news or something and Mallory took notice of the dashing drake with the mysterious eye patch and the chipped bill. He was different and dangerous and not the kind of dangerous she was accustomed to in the Special Forces, the kind of dangerous she was always told to avoid which made him even more enticing. So when Canard introduced her to the newest member of his team two years ago, her initial strategy was to put her guard on, heavy and locked. She did a pretty good job of concealing her feelings, too, almost convincing herself of his sinister ulterior motives and inability to reform. Almost.

The malevolent portrait she mentally painted of him eventually began to crack and what emerged was someone kind, gentle, misunderstood, and still _very_ handsome. Someone who knew when to listen and when to ask questions. Someone who always offered a warm smile as they passed each other in the hall, held doors open for her and kissed her hand. Someone who has something elaborate up his sleeve tonight and, for all her military training, she has no idea what.

"I guess he does have ulterior motives," she thought to herself and smiled.

There was a tide shift in Mallory and Duke's relationship over the course of the past year. His visit to her room earlier in the day was not uncommon and the unlikely pair often found themselves in each other's company after a long day of fighting Dragaunus or playing hockey or whatever occupied the hours between sunrise and sunset. If someone had told her she'd one day be sharing In-N-Out on her bed while hate-watching The Bachelor at 1am with a former jewel thief who-knows-how-many years her senior, she would've laughed in their face but such was her Saturday night a few weeks ago. The week before that was a Stranger Things binge watch and the week before that - you get the picture.

In between TV shows and Dragaunus and hockey they'd slowly share tidbits of their past with each other, opting to err on the side of caution when it came to revealing too much about themselves. The details would naturally, and eventually, reveal themselves, they both thought. Their relationship, whatever the nature, was a slow, slow burn.

And they were both enjoying the chase. The thought of showing up to his room on a random late night had absolutely crossed Mallory's mind, even during their early days in Anaheim when she "hated" him. She knew he wouldn't turn her down and having that kind of relationship with Duke would definitely be fun, if not anything else. Secret trysts in the locker room, rendezvous in the Migrator - it sounded exciting and sexy. In fact, she remembered getting as far as Tanya's door one night, Duke's "neighbor," before being stopped by their friendly neighborhood scientist on her way out for some late night Drake-1 maintenance.

"Hey! What are you doing up, Mallory? It's almost midnight!"

She froze eight feet from Duke's door and struggled with an answer before making up a story about not being able to sleep and chamomile tea. Tanya bought it and Mallory ended up back in her room with a cup full of a beverage she didn't even like. Maybe it was the universe's way of telling her that something better was in store for her and Duke.

—

Mallory entered the rink and took a seat on the bleachers to fasten her skates. It looked exactly like it had yesterday when they left it after practice. Looking around, she tightened her new scarf around her neck and proceeded skate onto the ice, slight disappointment starting to creep in.

That was when the lights flickered, the opening bars to "All I Want for Christmas is You" began to play and a gradually amplifying dusting of snow began to cover the rink.

"What the f-!?" She spun around taking in her surroundings.

Mallory didn't know whether to laugh hysterically or cry so she ended up doing the former as soon as she spotted the culprit standing a few feet away from her, his long red overcoat swaying like some sort of mafia Santa Claus. She nodded in disbelief as she approached him.

"Never subtle, huh L'Orange?"

"Eh, you know me. You wore the scarf. Purple's the color of royalty - it suits you." he beamed as they skated toward each other, wrapping her in a thick, warm embrace, "Merry Christmas, Princess."

She buried her face on his chest for a few moments before looking up and offering a grateful and watery smile, "Snow, Duke!? I can't believe you did this! How? …why!?"

"Mal, you should've seen yourself this morning - I'd never seen you lookin' so sad. Call me a sucker but it broke my heart so I pulled a few strings and…" he trailed off, tilting his head toward the blizzard that surrounded them.

"This is the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me - thank you," she wrapped her arms tighter around his waist taking in more of the soft white flakes that cascaded down on them. She had no idea how he pulled this off and, frankly, she wasn't about to ask.

"Don't mention it," he said, brushing off a few flakes from her hair and reveling in the moment. They stood in the middle of the rink, snow gathering around them before Duke remembered, "We only have the place for a half an hour so whaddya say we do a few laps around this joint, eh?"

"You wanna race?" she teased.

"Hmm, I was thinking more along the lines of a casual stroll," he put out his arm, "Care to join me, M'lady?"

She rolled her eyes and laughed before linking her arm with his.

They lost track of time of how long they skated as the snow slowly trickled down onto the ice rink. It was beginning to pile up to the point where it looked like they were actually outside. Between stealing glances at one another, Mallory broke the silence.

"I haven't skated without a stick and a puck in so long. You know I used to figure skate before I ever played hockey."

"Really?" Duke smiled, "You know, I can see you as a figure skater. You have a certain grace on the ice…and I bet you looked cute as hell in those little skirts."

"You bet I did," she smirked, "And I was really good, too. Triple lutzes, triple axels. I switched to hockey because my coaches said I'd never make it professionally. They said I had too much spunk and judges wouldn't like me. Pfft. Could you believe that?" She grinned at him for a reaction. She knew the judges weren't all wrong.

"Well, I like ya."

"You haven't even seen me do a triple axel."

Duke stopped abruptly and took a full step back from her, hands in his pocket and watching expectantly.

"You're nuts, L'Orange."

"Don't remember, eh?"

She flashed him a sugary smile as she gave him the one-fingered salute before attempting and ultimately landing a perfect quadruple axel. She curtsied and skated back to a very stunned Duke.

"Bravo, Mal-Mal!" he slow clapped, "That was beautiful!"

"Thanks- now's your turn."

"Sweetheart, you'd have to wheel me out of here if I attempted anything like that!"

"Oh come on!" she laughed, tugging his arm, "I've seen you do enough leaps and bounds - you can handle-"

As she teased and coaxed him, a large mound of snow fell upon them, sending both Duke and Mallory down on the rink and into a spiral of laughter. They both lied back as the laughs subsided and took in the cold, familiar feel of the snow up against their bodies. Any Earthling would've frozen but these Puckworld natives felt right at home.

Duke glanced over at Mallory who was staring intently at the snow that descended upon her. He doesn't think he'd ever seen her so genuinely happy - her expression reminded him of the photos she showed him that morning and that's when he knew all of this was worth it. Duke could see a faint reflection of the snowflakes on her large eyes as well as a small puddle of tears collecting at the corners. He reached over and held her hand, gently intertwining his fingers with hers, his thumb slowly massaging the inside of her wrist. The sudden touch made her dart her head over and look at him, a sweet smile playing on her lips as a single tear rolled down her face. He wanted to freeze this moment.

If Mallory had been smitten with Duke all along, he was head over heels for her. He knew she was brave, strong, and beautiful upon meeting her but he was slowly realizing the tough military brat with the sharp tongue was also warm, complex and utterly delightful. She was not an easy person to get to know, especially when her initial opinions of him were peppered with such descriptions as "thief," "crook," and "suspicious" but Duke was determined to prove to her wrong. When successful, he cherished his rewards - a fleeting, flirty smile as they crossed paths in the locker room, voluntarily taking a seat behind him on a duckcycle, or a casual invitation to her room to "hang out" like if they were in high school.

Lying next to her on the snow reminded him of a night a little over a year ago. She'd sprained her ankle during a game and was bedridden for a week. The team was out on a mission and Wildwing had ordered Duke to stay behind and help out Mallory. He obliged but didn't think much of it and was looking forward to a night of reading in his room after dropping off some dinner for her.

"Do you wanna stay a little while?" she asked, grabbing a bag of take-out from his hand. It took him by complete surprise. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been in her room. "I've been cooped up in here for four days and I'm about to go pretty insane. I could use some company. Even from you." She shot him an evil grin.

"Sure," he said as he took a seat by her, dumbstruck. Something in her eyes looked different tonight.

"You can have half my fries," she said, taking Duke by surprise as she stretched her bare legs out over his lap, wounded ankle on top. "Gotta keep them elevated."

He awkwardly fumbled with what to do with his hands before deciding on grabbing some fries from the bag. The rest of the night was spent watching something or other on TV and Duke ultimately settled his hands on her shins.

"So, how long before you can dance again?" he asked.

"Dance?"

"Yeah, dance."

She looked confused and narrowed her gaze. "I don't know, I guess whenever I can walk again - who knows when that'll be. You're weird."

"I'm also an excellent dancer, Sweetheart. Tell ya what, when you're back on your feet, I'll take you dancing. How does that sound?"

"I hate dancing but, sure. Why not?"

"Good. It's a date then."

"You're weird."

"And you're adorable." She blushed and tossed a French fry at him.

Holding her hand and looking into her eyes made that night seem like ages ago. He enjoyed the banter but whatever was currently brewing between them was much better.

"You know, Mally, I just realized I never took you dancing."

She broke out in laughter. "What made you think of that?"

"I don't know," he said wistfully, still holding her hand, "Something in your eyes tonight reminded me. Feels like so long ago."

He was really laying it on thick tonight and she was slurping up every last drop. They were both leaning closer toward each other just as a loud holler oscillated through the rink, sending them both on their feet.

"Cooella! See? I knew something was up!"

A look of horror came across Duke's face as Mallory looked over at him apologetically.

"Duke, Bro, I knew you could make it rain but I didn't know you could make it snow!" Nosedive said as he and the others skated toward Duke and Mallory,

"What is this?" asked Wildwing in bewilderment.

"Yeah, what's going on?" said Tanya.

Duke and Mallory were speechless and looked back and forth at each other for answers.

"Duke made it snow in the rink," she blurted out, "So Christmas here could feel a little more like Puckworld."

Dejected and hands in his pockets, Duke nodded. "Just call me a regular Jack Frost, eh?"

"That's really nice of you, Duke," Wildwing was impressed but still had questions. "But how-"

"Listen, you guys go ahead and enjoy, OK? Show's over at 7:30 but knock yourselves out. I'm outta here." He looked over sadly at Mallory and whispered, "I'm sorry" before skating away toward the exit as the rest watched.

"Nice going," she said, glaring at the team as she skated away, Nosedive in particular.

"Uh, can someone please tell me, you know, what's like going on?" asked Tanya.

"Knowledge is learning something every day. Wisdom is letting go of something every day. I don't think this was any of our business to know," answered Grin as he, Nosedive, Wildwing and Tanya stared blankly at the exit.

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. Chapter 4

Duke rested his head over folded hands and stared at the ceiling, occasionally surveying his room for stuff he could auction. "That was an expensive fiasco," he thought.

He could've wasted his energy being angry at Nosedive and the others for barging in but disappointment and loss trumped everything else he might've been feeling. Besides, how would they even know he's been harboring feelings for Mallory? How would they know he had delusions of sweeping her off her feet, both figuratively and literally, among the freshly fallen premium-priced snow? Just as his pity party was reaching it's peak, he heard a light tap on his door.

"It's me, Duke. Can I come in?" said Mallory from the opposite side of the door.

He balled his fist and hit the door switch by his night table to let her in. Regardless of how upset he was feeling, he instantly felt better at her presence and sat up on his bed. He gave her a pathetic smile.

"You stormed outta there pretty quickly," she said, taking a seat next to him.

"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly appreciate the party crashers," he muttered, "Mally, I'm so sorry. Tonight was supposed to be your night. That snow was for _you_ , not for Nosedive or Wildwing or Tanya or Grin. They messed everything up."

She slid her arm into to his and held his hand, "Duke, tonight was incredible, I don't care who showed up. Nobody's ever done anything for me that even remotely compares, I mean, you made it _snow_ , dude! Look, I know having the guys show up wasn't the greatest but it didn't make tonight any less special." She lifted her bill and pecked his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder.

"Shoot, I almost forgot. She reached behind her and pulled out a the small box she had been wrapping earlier. "It's not a blizzard or anything but I think you'll like it."

"Mal, you didn't have to get me anything."

"I wanted to. Now open it, come on!"

He carefully unwrapped the box, revealing a small red leather frame that held a photo of the two of them smiling, Duke's arm wrapped around her shoulder. It was from an old fashion shoot that Phil had them do years ago. Mallory hated her outfit and her hair but always thought Duke looked handsome in his burgundy suit and gold chain. Under the frame was a note that read, "Now you have _this_. Always."

 _"_ _But to be honest, I didn't have much goin' for me back there, Mal. I didn't have this."_

A tear hit the glass and Mallory grinned widely at him. "Did I just make Duke L'Orange cry?" she teased.

"Don't tell the guys, eh?" he sniffled, "Thank you, Sweetheart, it's beautiful… as is the sentiment." He wrapped an arm around her and the two reclined back against the headboard. Duke stared at the photo and then back at Mallory.

"We make a cute pair, eh?"

"Yeah, especially in those outfits!" she laughed.

"So, Merry Christmas, eh Angel?"

"Merry Christmas, Duke."

His gaze continued shifting from the photo to his pretty redheaded companion. "My life ain't been easy, Mally, but you sure have made it a helluva lot more worthwhile. I'd make it snow a hundred more times for you, every day of the year if you wanted."

"That would be super expensive."

"To see you smile the way you did today? A thousand more times. I'd ask Phil to adjust my contract and charge triple for those photoshoots," he rubbed her shoulder, "I know being away from Puckworld is hard for you and I know the constant battles and hockey games aren't exactly a walk in the park for any of us but I want you to know that I'll always do everything in my power to make you happy. Always."

Mallory was at a loss for words but warmed by what she was hearing. Despite any shortcomings - and those were quickly vanishing in her eyes - Duke cared deeply for her. _So_ much. She hadn't felt this protected and this adored for a long time. Perhaps that's why she was slowly letting her guard down, she knew he had her back. A long, comfortable silence came over them.

"Duke?" she asked after a while.

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever been in love?"

He slightly jolted back and looked down at her, surprised by her question. He thought for a moment. "I-I don't know… I think so. How about you?"

"Same," she replied, absently staring out, "Whatever became of it?"

"I don't know. You?"

"Same," she said, followed by another period of silence.

"Duke?"

"Yeah, Sweetheart?"

She wrapped her leg over his and weaved their fingers together, both hands resting on his stomach. "Can we stay like this forever?"

He reached over his bed table and flipped the light switch, encasing the room in darkness before kissing her forehead and resting his head on hers.

"Goodnight, Sweetheart." Mallory was blissfully asleep.

—

Duke looked over at his sleeping bedmate and smiled thinking about how they got here. The hostile military officer and the smooth criminal - it's as if their love story would write itself. Mallory had her arms tightly wrapped around his waist and his right leg in a death grip between hers - it almost looked like a fight move. Not wanting to disrupt the moment, Duke buried his face in her hair and drifted back to sleep only to be woken a short while later by the small circles she was gently drawing on his chest with her middle finger.

"Morning, beautiful," he murmured.

"Morning yourself, handsome" she sleepily replied with a yawn. The circles were making him drowsy again, among other things.

"You know, you look just like a little angel when you're sleeping," he said after a while. Mallory perked up and he ran his fingers through her messy bangs. "And a little devil when you wake up."

She punched him playfully as she sat up, reaching out her hand to his.

"This was nice, eh?" he asked with a smile as he held her hand, "Wakin' up together like this, you and me."

"Yeah, it was."

Duke got up and scooted closer to Mallory toward the edge of the bed. He couldn't help but sigh as he gazed at her. This was the first night they'd ever spent entirely together. There had been nights where she'd fallen asleep on his lap on the sofa after a particularly boring movie and nights where his head dozed off on her shoulder but the two always reluctantly ended up back in their respective rooms before morning.

"You know, you really do look like an angel, Mally. When you're sleeping, when you're awake, when you're punching the crap outta' me. Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"

"Not in so many words," she blushed. "But go on."

"You're beautiful. And earning your trust and getting to know you has been my greatest adventure on earth. Which is why... I can't lie to you."

She eyed him quizzically. _"Don't F this up, Duke,"_ she thought.

"When you asked me last night if I'd ever been in love, I said I didn't know. I've known. I've known for a really long time, Sweetheart."

Mallory looked down at their tangled hands, gripping his tighter and then glancing back up at him with relief. "I've known, too, and for so long, Duke," she said quietly.

Their eyes locked and he gently cupped her face with his right hand, brushing her cheek with his thumb and eased his bill toward hers. His hands wandered down to her waist and hers around his neck. It was a wonderful, long and long-overdue kiss. Mallory played with his ponytail as it subsided, their foreheads resting on one another as they caught their breath.

"So, you sure you want this old man hangin' round ya all the time? I'm no spring chicken, I might slow ya down."

She laughed at his self deprecating humor. "Something tells me you'll be able to keep up with me just fine."

"You know, I had planned on our first big kiss to happen yesterday under the snow," he said with a chuckle, "Like in the movies."

"L'Orange, you should know by now that nothing in our lives ever goes as planned," she laughed as she ruffled his hair, "Besides, this wasn't so bad. You're a pretty good kisser."

"Just 'pretty good,' eh?" he teased, strengthening his hold on her waist, "Guess I'm gonna have to try harder."

"The year's not over yet, Babe," she joked, "You still have a few more days to really show me what ya got."

"Challenge accepted, Sweetheart."

He drew her in for another long kiss. This year was going to end with a bang.

But today was going to start with the DRAKE-1 alarm.

"Damn," they both said.

THE END

(Or is it?)

A big **Thank You** for reading! I've seen a lot of Duke and Mallory love going around lately and wanted to post this fic. Happy Holidays! =)


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